California man trying to burn spiders ignites home

Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Firefighters in California said a man house-sitting for his parents tried to use a blowtorch to kill some dangerous spiders and set the home on fire.

The Fresno Fire Department said firefighters responded Tuesday night to reports of a house fire in the Woodward Lake housing development.

Firefighters said the man who made the call escaped the house safely. He told firefighters he had found some black widow spiders in the house and had been trying to kill them with a blowtorch when he sparked the blaze.

No injuries were reported from the fire, which damaged the second story of the home and the attic.

Arizona's Tucson Fire Department responded to a similar incident in October 2017. The department said a man had been attempting to use a propane torch to kill some spiders under his family's mobile home when the structure caught fire.